Toboggan



Feb. 16, 1965 o. HAAB TOBO-GGAN FiledA Nov. 2, 1962v United States Patent 3,169,779 TOBOGGAN Otto Haalt, 8483 Kollhrnnn, Rikon, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Nov. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 235,089 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 1, 1961,

' 13,9s1/61 Claims. (Cl. 280-18) The present invention relates to toboggans and has the primary object of providing a toboggan which can be steered by Varying the distribution of weight on it.

Most of the conventional toboggans have runners and are steered when sliding down a slope mainly by frictional contact of the riders shoes with the snow. Recently also dish-shaped toboggans have been proposed, the dish of which has approximately the shape of a round pan-11d. Such dish-shaped toboggans cannot be controlled at all.

With the object stated hereinabove and other objects in view, which will become apparent later from the following specification and the accompanying drawings I provide a dish-shaped toboggan comprising in combination: a dish-shaped shell having a forwardly turned-up bottom and two inwardly inclined side walls making angular transition with said bottom, the edges included between said bottom and said side walls diverging forwardly symmetrically of the vertical longitudinal middle plane of the toboggan.

These and other features of -my said invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a toboggan according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an end elevation viewed from the rear to FIGS. 1 and 2.

'Ilse toboggan illustrated comprises a dish-shaped body 1, which consists e.g. of glass-fibre reinforced polyester. On the rear portion of the dish 1 a seat cushion 2 is attached which is indicated only in dotted lines in order to better show the structure of the dish. Moreover, two hand grips 3 are fixed laterally on said dish 1, and a small bracket 4 is attached in front, to which a cord may be attached for pulling the toboggan.

The dish 1 has a bottom 5 which curves upwardly in front and makes angular transition with two substantially plain side walls 6, which are symmetrical to the vertical middle piane of the toboggan-comparable with the slopes of a valley-and are inclined at an angle varying from about 53 to 45 to the rear portion of the bottom 5 (see the rear end elevation of FIG. 3). The transition from thebottom S to the side walls 6 is through two edges 7, which are parallel to one another at the rear portion of the toboggan (ontthe left hand side of FIG. 2') and diverge for-wardly to a steadily increasing degree (on the right hand side of FIG. 2);

These side walls 6 are joined, through edges S, with lateral lugs 9, which slope outwardly and slightly downward in a lateral direction and upwardly longitudinally, and on the forward part of which the aforesaid handgrips 3 are attachedv e.g` by means of rivets 10.4 The edges 8 likewise diverge forwardly to a steadily increasing degree, and slightly diverge also rearwardly. As will be readily seen in FIG. l, these lateral lugs 9 are concave on top.

The bottom 5 has two corrugations 11 symmetrical and parallel to the longitudinal middle plane of the toboggan for-ming grooves at the underside and forming converselyribs on its upper surface.

The rider of the toboggan who obviously sits onv the cushion 2 and holds the grips 3 with his hands, rests his feet, with his knees bent, on the forward portion of the 3,169,779 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 ICC bottom 5, approximately at the spots 12 surrounded by chain-dotted lines.

While the usual toboggans having runners are steered when sliding down primarily by the riders feet resting on the track, the steering of the toboggan according to the present invention is effected exclusively by varying the distribution of weight. When the rider sits well in the middle, the toboggan runs straight forward, the downwardly hollow longitudinal corrugations 11 counteracting any change of direction.

When the rider displaces his weight to the right, the right hand side edge 7 cuts more deeply into the snow than the left hand side edge 7, which, owing to the forward portion of the right hand side edge 7 being turned outwardly towards the right, involves a turning of the `toboggan to the right. Conversely the toboggan is deiiected towards the left, when the riderdisplaces his weight to the left. The riding of such a toboggan makes different demands on the riders skill than the usual toboggan with runners, and it may be expected that this Will induce the use of my said toboggan by sport-lovers, particularly by children.

As compared with the non-steerable pandid toboggans the present toboggan has the advantage of being steerable, and as compared with the runner toboggans the advantage of being better protected from snow. Moreover the present toboggan lends itself particularly well to mass production, since the dish 1 may be pressed in one piece.

Besides, the dish 1 need not necessarily be made of synthetic material, butrcould be stamped .and pressed just as well e.g. of light metal alloy. Obviously the dish 1 could be made of a synthetic substances dyed in the mass, so that the dish permanently keeps its color and does not become unsightly by a surface coat of paint wearing off.

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood, that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; for obviousmodications will occur tol a person skilled iin the art.

What I `claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A dish-shaped toboggan, comprising a bottom wall having an upwardly curved front end portion, said bottom wall being provided with longitudinally extending grooves arranged in spaced relation to form runner surfaces on both sides thereof, upwardly and outwardly vextending walls along the side edges of said bottom wall I, wall, and hand grips secured to said laterally extending lugs.

2. A toboggan, 'comprising a bottom wall having an upwardly curved front end portion, said bottom wall being provided with longitudinally extending grooves arranged in spaced relation to form runner surfaces on both sides thereof, upwardly and outwardly directed laterally 3. A toboggan, comprising a bottom wall having an upwardly curved front end portion, and arcuately curved side edges, upwardly andv outwardly directed side walls connected to said'curved side edges with the side walls` diverging near therfront portion of the toboggan from the center lineV thereof, said side walls being disposed at the rsame to be steered when theweight is shifted from side to side corresponding to the direction of steering.V

Y 4. A dish-shaped toboggan made of a synthetic plastic t. material, comprising a dish-shaped shell having a bottom which is turned up in front and i's'provided on its lower surface with runner guides, said bottom merging over edges with two downwardlyV inclined side walls which aresyrnrnetrical to the longitudinal axis, said two side walls (6) over forwardly diverging edges (8)V merging into lugs V(9) which slope outwardly'and kare concave toward 4the top and which in their front portion are provided with handles. f

5. VA dish-shaped toboggan made of a synthetic plastic material, comprising aV dishfshaped shell having a bottom which is turned 11p-in front andis provided on its lower vsurface with runner guides, said bottom merging over n edges with two downwardly inclined sideV walls which are symmetrical to the longitudinal axis, said side walls (6) being inclined downwardly at an Vangle of 40 to 60 degrees.

Reterencres Cited by Ythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/61 VGreenberg.' v Y 1,544,965 7/25 VBavousett' T t 2SC-19 1,644,623 Y10/27 Ahn v 28B-28 X 2,139,513 12V/38 `Nelsonet al. '2S018 2,450,285 V 9/48 Lidberg v 289-18V 2,826,423 3/58 Erickson 2SC-12J ARTHUR L. LA PQINT, Primafy Examiner. A. HARRY LEVY, Examine.V Y 

1. A DISH-SHAPED TOBAGGAN, COMPRISISNG A BOTTOM WALL HAVING AN UPWARDLY CURVED FRONT END PORTION, SAID BOTTOM WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GROOVES ARRANGED IN SPACED RELATION TO FORM RUNNER SURFACES ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF, UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING WALLS ALONG THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID BOTTOM WALL INCLINED LATERLLY, SAID SIDE WALL DIVERGING FORWARDLY IN A DIRECTION OF SAID UPWARDLY CURVED BOTTOM WALL PORTION, DOWNWARLDY AND LATERALLY EXTENDING LUGS ON THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS WITH THE MAJOR PORTION THEREOF EXTENDING UPWARDLY IN A LONGITUDINAL AND DIVERGENT DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO THE CENTER LINE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, AND HAND GRIPS SECURED TO SAID LATERALLY EXTENDING LUGS. 